Discover Berlin's government district

The historic Reichstag building bears silent witness to Berlin's turbulent history. It was built from 1884 to 1894 by architect Paul Wallot in the neo-Renaissance style. The Reichstag of the German Empire met here, and later also the Weimar Republic. Since 1999 it has been the seat of the German Bundestag or parliament and is open to the public.

The Reichstag's glass dome was initially a controversial part of the redesign of the building by architect Norman Foster. Today, it's one of Berlin's notable landmarks. The roof terrace and dome of the Reichstag building can be visited by members of the public and offer spectacular views of the city and the government district. All you have to do is register in advance.

Built at the end of the 18th century, this has been the official residence of the federal president since 1994. It's called Bellevue because of the view of the surrounding park. Art historians have long argued about its architecture — is it still baroque, or is it already neoclassical? Today, the architecture of the three-winged, two-story palace is seen as early neoclassical.

The office of the federal chancellor is located close to the Reichstag. With its open architecture, the modern building embodies a clear message of transparency and was designed in that spirit by architects Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank. Completed in 2001, the Chancellery building is now used by Olaf Scholz, the third German chancellor after Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel to do so.

The glass-and-concrete Paul-Löbe-Haus contains the offices of the Bundestag's parliamentary committees. It's filled with modern art, and from above, the imposing building looks like a double-sided comb, while the central atrium on the inside could serve as a bowling alley for giants. A footbridge links it to the other side of the Spree River, a visual symbol of reunification.

With 1,745 offices, the Jakob-Kaiser-Haus, next to the Reichstag, is the largest German parliamentary building. The side of the building facing the Spree has a remarkable feature — Israeli artist Dani Karavan designed the glass wall displaying the first 19 articles of the German constitution.

One of the most beautiful places in Berlin's government district is the Spreeplatz, opposite the Paul-Löbe-Haus. The steps along the Spree River are a nice spot to relax. On summer evenings, visitors can watch a 30-minute multimedia installation projected on the building facades about the history of the Reichstag and democracy in Germany.

The building on the Landwehr Canal served various military authorities dating back to the time of the Kaiser, or emperor. During Nazi rule, a Wehrmacht resistance group met here as they tried in vain to end the Nazi reign with an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944. A memorial to the German resistance remembers the event.

The sculpture in the inner courtyard of the Defense Ministry shows a young naked man with his hands tied, reminding visitors of the failed assassination attempt on Hitler. The memorial is dedicated to the group behind the July 20 plot around Claus von Stauffenberg as well as other individuals and groups who tried to fight the Nazi dictatorship.

The Finance Ministry was built in 1935 as the Aviation Ministry under Hermann Göring, and was the first large-scale building commissioned by the Nazi regime. After the end of the war, it served as a meeting place when Communist East Germany was founded on October 7, 1949. A 1953 mural depicting the Socialist ideal of working-class life is a reminder of that past.